"Louis?".

Blinking rapidly, Louis focused his gaze on the voice and realised Zayn was waving his hand in front of his face with a confused look on his face. Gathering his concentration back, Louis faced his best friend and tried to remember what Zayn had told him before he had zoned out while staring at the ceiling but no matter how hard he tried, Louis couldn't remember anything. Now he felt bad.

"Huh? Sorry, what did you say, Joey?" cleared Louis his throat embarrassed.

"I was asking you if you talked to Àmber or your Dad but you were completely gone" repeated Zayn his question calmly.

"Well, um ... I did talk to her, yeah. It was nice and she um ... mentioned that Álvaro asked for me but he knew I wouldn't come around today. I never do. Why would he even bother asking?" reported Louis, still a bit confused.

"Because if you wanna believe it or not, he cares about you. He is your Dad, after all. Yes, only on paper and not biologically but does it matter? He wants to know if you're okay and nothing's wrong with that. The two of you don't have to be on good terms for him to worry about you" told Zayn him softly.

"I know you're right. It just surprises me that he still doesn't give up on me. That he still tries after all those years, you know?" mumbled Louis quietly.

"I know, Tommy" smiled Zayn understandingly at him but that smile turned into a smirk in less than a second. "So, where have your thoughts been this whole time I was talking to you?".

"What do you mean?" squeaked Louis out.

"Oh, C'mon. I'm not stupid. I saw you" grew Zayn's smirk bigger by the second.

"I don't know what you mean" avoided Louis eye contact.

"You have been staring at the ceiling for over twenty minutes while I was talking to your empty shell. A pretty fascinating ceiling, huh?" cocked Zayn an eyebrow at him.

"Sorry, I was in thoughts" coughed Louis awkwardly.

"About Harry" grinned Zayn knowingly.

"What?! No! Why would you think that?" denied Louis everything, having no idea why Zayn would even think that in the first place.

"Seriously, Tommy?" threw Zayn him an all-saying look, making Louis look to the floor of his living room. "I'm not trying to be mean or mock you, Tommy. You know that, right?".

"Yeah, I know that" murmured Louis barely audible.

"I only wanna know what's going on with you and Harry" lifted Zayn gently Louis' chin up, making their eyes meet.

"There is nothing going on. We're friends now" felt Louis his cheeks heating up under Zayn's intense stare.

"I've seen that and I like how close you are. It seems like you trust him" eyed Zayn Louis' face closely.

"I do" confirmed Louis strongly. "As much as I can".

"And that's amazing. You're letting someone else in. I've never seen you do that but um ..." trailed Zayn off unsurely.

"But what?" knitted Louis his eyebrows together.

"Why him?" asked Zayn directly.

Perplexed, Louis frowned at those words. His stomach felt weird and he had the urge to defend Harry right on the spot. He deserved to be trusted and he was worthy of the truth more than anyone. Why couldn't Zayn see that?

"Now don't look at me like that, Tommy. I didn't mean to upset you. I know deep down he is a good guy, even on the outside by now" seemed Zayn to be able to read Louis' mind, his bewildered questions.

"Then why would you ...".

"I just wanna understand why you tell him so much and not Nialler, for example," cut Zayn him off. "You've known him all your life and he knows there is something but doesn't ask to give you your freedom and peace and time. He would never pressure you into telling him and I know you never plan on telling him anyway. And it's okay. Don't get me wrong, but ... I always thought no one would ever know because you decided never to talk about it again. But now Harry showed up and you suddenly wanna let him in ... I just wanna know why ... why him and not someone else".

Shocked, Louis let Zayn's words sink in slowly. He knew Zayn never meant to sound reproachful or accusing on purpose but right now he did. "Because".

"That's not an answer, Louis" groaned Zayn surprisingly.

"It is my answer, Zayn. There is no more to it than just because" insisted Louis stubbornly.

"That makes no fucking sense" pulled Zayn a funny face, making the tension go away.

"It doesn't have to make sense, Joey" could Louis not suppress his tiny grin. "It's simply ... I don't know ... Nialler doesn't give me the feeling that it's really important to let him know. We're good and honest with each other without the past. He was partly there and probably knows things without me telling him and that's okay. It's enough".

"I get what you mean. And yeah, it's enough" offered Zayn him a genuine smile.

"With Harry, it's different and I can't say why but it is. At first, I really couldn't stand him and you know that. But over time we got closer and he showed me that he cares about me in some way. I never expected that, to be honest. I never ... He was honest with me about his past and was vulnerable although he always tries to act tough and unbothered. He put his mask down for me and I just ... I felt like I could trust him with parts of my past and ... I don't know ... It seems like he understands that I need time and he is willing to give me all the time I need. Something only you ever did. I can't really put this into words but I'm grateful he stumbled into my life and helps me to get over some of my fears. Not that you never did that. You've always been there for me but with Harry ... it's different" tried Louis to find the right words to describe what he was feeling but he simply couldn't.

Carefully, Zayn took both of Louis' shaking hands into his own and pulled him into a soothing hug, drawing little circles onto Louis' back. "I get what you're trying to say, Tommy. It's okay. I understand. You have someone in your life now who makes you feel safe enough to be one hundred per cent yourself with all of your scars and bruises and issues. I'm happy for you and here to support you".

"Thank you, Joey" snuggled Louis closer into Zayn's chest.

"You're welcome" petted Zayn Louis' hair softly.

"How about we do something fun?" broke Louis out of Zayn's embrace, knowing there was still one question unsaid hanging above his head but Louis wasn't ready to hear it or answer it, not even considering it.

"What do you have in mind?" asked Zayn interested.

"No clue. Maybe we could just watch a movie or go outside and kick a ball around or take a walk through the park" shrugged Louis without a real plan.

"Outside? Sure, you idiot. It's raining like crazy. We would only get w ..." snorted Zayn amused but abruptly fell silent, only staring at Louis in disbelief. "Wait a damn second ... did you just ... Have you ... Are you s ... Since when do you play football?".

"Um ... on our trip Harry might have made me try it out although he is shit at it and it was pretty good. Was fun actually" scratched Louis his neck awkwardly.

"Harry and you played football on our trip and you're telling me this now?" gaped Zayn aghast at him.

"Yeah?" looked Louis everywhere but Zayn.

"Wow, I ... Woah" breathed Zayn out, not being able to process this information.

"That fits quite well, to be honest. He surprised me with it. I ... we had a talk about it before and I've told him that I never played before because of dance and the next day, he led me to the sports field and convinced me to try it out. At first, I was hesitant. Scared even, obviously. But he took that fear away from me and in the end, I had a lot of fun, especially because he is way too clumsy to actually hit a ball" let Louis him know with a light chuckle.

"Wow, yeah. That's amazing. I know how scared you have been of trying anything that could ... you know ... I'm so proud of you, Tommy. But could it be that you ...".

The ringing of Louis' smartphone interrupted Zayn's question and Louis has never been happier. Quickly, he grabbed his phone and saw Sean's name on the display. A bit confused, Louis answered the call.

"Hi, Sean. What's up? Aren't you at work?".

"No, Yes. I mean, yes I am at work. That's why I'm calling you" sounded Sean absentminded.

"I don't think I understand what you mean" wrinkled Louis his forehead in pure confusion.

"Harry" croaked Sean out panicky.

"What about him? Did something happen to him? Sean, what's wrong?" picked Louis' heartbeat up drastically.

"Kyle was here with some weird guys, not his usual group. He and Harry got in an argument about you and Kyle was really provoking him and um ..." trailed Sean off quietly.

"And what? Please, tell me" pleaded Louis desperately, Zayn standing by his side with no clue what was going on.

"He is on the way to the hospital," told Sean him finally.

"What?!" exclaimed Louis loudly, startling Zayn.

"They got in a fight and one of Kyle's dudes felt the need to join in. Harry stood no chance" explained Sean shortly to him.

"But he is okay, right? Harry is alright?" checked Louis anxiously.

"Badly injured probably but yeah, he was okay. Well, as okay as possible after getting beat up so brutally and ...".

"University hospital or do ...".

"University hospital, Louis" stated Sean firmly. "He was mumbling your name. That's why I called you. He has no one else. Well, Andy but you know what I mean".

"Thanks, Sean. I have to go" ended Louis the call hysterically, almost running Zayn over. "I need to ...".

"Woah, slow down, Tommy. You have to breathe" steadied Zayn him by his shoulders.

"I can't. Harry is in the hospital. He is hurt because of me. Kyle just can't leave him alone" was the panic overcoming Louis in waves now.

"No, don't go there, Tommy. This is not your fault. Don't blame yourself. Let's get you to the hospital and see how he is doing, yeah?" nudged Zayn Louis' chin.

Louis only nodded quickly before he sprinted over to his front door. Jumping on one foot, he put his shoes and his coat on. A second later he was out of the door, not waiting for Zayn, who was running after him. Arriving at Zayn's car, Louis had to slow down and take a deep breath.

In the car, Louis couldn't sit still for one second. He was biting on his nails nervously until no nail was left. Before he could eat his fingers they arrived at the hospital. Fast as lightning, Louis ran over to the receptionist and asked for Harry but he wasn't allowed to see him yet. It was late and visiting hour was already over and Louis was no family but he was allowed to wait for news in the waiting area.

"He will be okay" caressed Zayn Louis' knee when they were sitting down on some chairs.

"What if he isn't? What happens then?" asked Louis with teary eyes and wobbly lips.

"Then you're gonna be there for him" squeezed Zayn Louis' knee. "Like you are right now although you hate hospitals. No need to worry".

All Louis could do was smile at Zayn thankfully. He really had the best friend on the whole planet. Zayn always knew what to say and how to comfort Louis, even when he was being irrationally scared or anxious. And he knew Louis good enough to always know how he was feeling, like right now.

Zayn knew Louis had a problem with hospitals. They reminded him of his mother. Not just because she died in one. No, she has been a nurse before she had invested all of her time in Louis' dancing career and before she got sick years later. Sometimes Louis wondered if his Mum got sick because of him. Did he kill her at the end of the day?

No, he knew rationally that he did not kill her. The cancer had killed her ... but what would have happened if her life had been different? Would she have gotten cancer as well if she had never stopped being a nurse to support Louis every second of the day because she wanted to keep an eye on him? There were days he wished his mother would have never given her life up for his stupid dream. Maybe she would still be alive.

"No, Tommy. Don't even think that" tore Zayn's voice him out of his thoughts.

"What?" blinked Louis at him. Has he been saying all of this out loud?

"I know what you're thinking. I've seen that look on your face before and know you're thinking about her death. You're kinda blaming yourself now that you're here but you can't do that. You had nothing to do with her getting cancer. It wasn't your fault" wiped Zayn a few tears away from Louis' cheeks, which have been silently falling down.

"Maybe but she was so busy being with me and driving me to competitions and arguing with him that she had no time to see a doctor. Maybe if she had been there earlier there would have been a bigger chance for her to survive" pointed Louis out shakily.

"We never know, Tommy. But she wouldn't want you to sit here and blame yourself. Cancer is a horrible thing and no one is to blame here. There is nothing you could have done to change the outcome, nothing to keep her alive" had Zayn to swallow hard while telling Louis all of this. By now they had both tears on their faces.

"I could've been here more often. For her. With her" cried Louis quietly into Zayn's chest, who had pulled Louis into another embrace. "I could've said goodbye".

"Oh, Louis" sighed Zayn sadly, simply hugging him closer.

For a while they were just sitting there, holding each other close. Louis felt the weight and guilt of the past weighing down on him like it was choking him, crashing him and his heart. He really wished he could change the past and go back in time to do things differently. He wished he would have said goodbye to his guardian angel.

"Mr. Tomlinson?" called someone out, causing Louis and Zayn to let go of each other and wipe away their tears.

"That's me" collected Louis himself.

"Mr. Styles is awake and over the worst. He's in the clear although his injuries are pretty bad. He couldn't really tell us what happened. Do you know who did that to him?" walked a nurse closer to him. Her name tag read Bailey Matthews.

"Kyle Levi," told Louis her without a problem. "And some other guy whose name I don't know. One of Hary ... Mr. Styles' co-workers called me and told me about what happened. He said Mr. Levi beat him up with a friend and I'm sadly not surprised".

"Okay. Thank you for your cooperation. According to that information, I guess someone is already on it. A police officer was already here and asked Mr. Styles some questions" informed Mrs. Matthews him professionally. "Now you can go and see him".

"What? Really? I thought visiting hour is over" stared Louis at her in wonder.

"It is but he asked for you, Mr. Tomlinson. He said you're his only family left around here. So, you're allowed to see him. I'll lead you there if you want" revealed nurse Bailey to him with a warm smile, like she knew something he didn't.

"I wait here, Tommy. Go and see him" encouraged Zayn him with the same warm smile on his face.

"Okay".

Impatiently, Louis followed the nurse down a hallway and towards Harry's room. She pointed at a door and then left him to go back to work. Now suddenly scared instead of nervous, Louis knocked on the door before he carefully opened it, revealing a badly injured Harry lying on a bed. Nonetheless, Harry's face lit up the moment he saw Louis.

"Hi".

With a lump in his throat, Louis walked closer to him and inspected Harry's face. Huge dark bruises were prominent on his beautiful face and dried blood could still be spotted here and there around Harry's mouth and ears. His hands were red, swollen and bruised and Louis didn't dare to even think about anything else.

"Hi, Haz" sat Louis down on the bed and stroked a strand of hair out of Harry's face gently.

"I'm happy to see you. Thanks for coming" tried Harry to smile but it ended in a painful wince.

"Don't thank me, Haz. Without me, you wouldn't be here right now" bit Louis the inside of his cheek.

"Why would you say that? This isn't your fault" frowned Harry befuddled.

"But Kyle ...".

"Is a huge asshole but this isn't your fault, you hear me?" gave Harry him no chance to keep blaming himself. "Kyle is the violent sociopath in this scenario and not you. You did nothing wrong".

"Okay, but can you tell me what really happened? Sean wasn't really clear" asked Louis meekly.

"Nothing out of the ordinary actually. It was a normal day at work. Sean and I even had a lot of fun until Kyle showed up with some strange dudes by his side. I was confused about where the other idiots were but I didn't really care. I tried to ignore him and simply do my job but Kyle wasn't having it. He was directly in my face and was trying to rile me up by dragging you down and shit-talking you in front of all those people. His words were harsh and cruel and I knew he was trying to piss me off, so I kept calm ... until it turned sexual. He was making fun of you and him never doing anything and mocking me for choosing you and not him and kept claiming all I want is to get into your pants because you never got any and I just flipped. I was so mad at him that I snapped. I can't really recall how it became physical and when his 'friend' decided to join in but it doesn't matter. All I wanted was for him to stop talking about you in such a sexual way. As if that would be your only purpose. Who is he to judge you for anything? How could he know if you ever had sex or not? And why does it matter? It's none of his fucking business" let Harry him in on what really happened at the club.

Hearing all this, Louis got so angry with Kyle that he could kill him. Why couldn't he stop bothering Harry and why was he still so bitter about them not fucking? Knowing how Kyle thought about it, Louis was even happier they never did anything and he never told Kyle why. Now he would have just used that information to humiliate him. Kyle really needed to learn a lesson.

"I swear I'm gonna kill him" grumbled Louis madly.

"No, Lou. He's not worth all of this attention" grabbed Harry for his hand. "Just ignore him. He's pathetic and unimportant".

"He hurt you" countered Louis furiously.

"And he bad-mouthed you, Lou. That's way worse. I can't understand why he is so obsessed. He called it quits. Why can't he just leave you alone?" huffed Harry enraged.

"Me? He needs to leave you alone. If he ever lays a hand on you again I'm gonna kill him and you can't stop me" said Louis determinant and meant it.

"I'll help you" smiled Harry at him openly through the pain.

"Okay" sniffled Louis lightly.

"Have you been crying?" studied Harry his face.

"I've been worried about you, dumb nut" nudged Louis Harry's leg.

"Thanks" snorted Harry before he turned serious again. "But I meant before you came here. You look like you've been crying. Your eyes are all red".

"Oh, that ... it's nothing. Just allergic to hospitals" waved Louis the matter off.

"And still, you're here. Thank you, Lou" seemed Harry to understand what Louis was unable to say.

The fact alone that Harry understood without words and didn't ask any further because he knew Louis was fragile made Louis' heart jump in his chest. They've come such a long way already and Louis felt like he could really trust Harry and one day tell him everything. Maybe even about his guilt of not being there when his mother died.

"Always, Haz".